Swing and seam

Nathan Bracken (3 for 25) and Brad Williams (4 for 22), grateful to have first use of the conditions, destroyed New Zealand's top order with a display of controlled swing and seam bowling.

For Bracken it was simply a case of going back to the basics. He kept the ball on the stumps and on a good length. Of his 54 deliveries, just 4 were short of a length, and none rank long hops. When he did err on length, it was on the fuller side. But with length, you need line. And Bracken seldom bowled too straight. He landed 42 of his 54 balls on or outside the off stump and did not once bowl down the leg side.

Nathan Bracken
Length	Balls	Line	Balls
Full	10	Outside off	30
Good length	44	On the stumps	24
Short	0	Outside leg	0

A big reason for this was the fact that he was bringing the ball in to the batsmen, and it would be safer to push the ball wider and bring it in, rather than land on the stumps and slip down the leg side. Of his complement, as many as 34 deliveries moved in the air, leaving just 12 straight balls.

Williams, blessed with more pace but less swing, kept the ball shorter than Bracken, giving the batsmen nothing to drive at. Of his 59 balls, only one was really full, a yorker. Williams's outside-the-off line was also a factor. He delivered 49 balls outside off. Where Bracken was swing, Williams was seam. Almost half his deliveries (26) moved off the wicket.

Brad Williams
Length	Balls	Line	Balls
Full	1	Outside off	49
Good length	56	On the stumps	9
Short	2	Outside leg	1

On the day, it was simply a case of two bowlers doing what they each did best, exploiting favourable conditions to the fullest.